Alumni

Reflection on Experience

Meeting like-minded yet diverse people from all over the US. Collaborating with mentors and researching potential topics of your passion. Garnering life-long connections with experts in your field and faculty from Columbia. This is BEST. This is a program that shifted my view of medicine and public health. If you wish to walk in the footsteps of what it's like to be a motivated student in New York City, this program is most definitely the one for you. It really is the "best." – Sebastian P, 2022

I ended the BEST Program with more confidence in myself than when I started. This program equipped me with a level of knowledge, instruction, guidance, and support that I’ve never received before. Everyone was excited to learn and the faculty genuinely cared about us. The best part was experiencing New York City with a group of people I’ll now always call my friends. – Flora M, 2022

The BEST Diversity Program at Columbia Mailman really opened my worldview on Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Participation not only gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by highly-motivated and like-minded peers but to see the interdisciplinary, social justice-oriented, and welcoming culture here at Mailman. I am now looking forward to pursuing an MPH in Epidemiology and applying to Mailman in the near future! With the quantitative skill sets, I now know that I have what it takes to contribute to health disparities research. – Paul A, 2019

The experience this program provides you is like no other. To live in the Heart of the City, conduct research with some of the best faculty in the field, not to mention all of the other people you will be introduced to, and enjoy some of the best things the city and the Mailman School of Public Health have to offer, the opportunity is unmatched. Gain first hand experience as to what its like to be a graduate student at Columbia University, with twice the fun and a fraction of the stress. If you are lucky enough to be selected to participate in the program, enjoy gaining an entire new perspective on your life and your future. – Morghan G, 2019

What Alumni Are Doing Now

  • Biostatistics PhD and MPH candidates at Columbia University
  • Epidemiology MPH candidates at Columbia University
  • Biostatistics PhD candidate at NYU
  • MD-PhD Epidemiology candidate at University of Minnesota
  • PhD candidate in Quantitative Biomedical Sciences at Dartmouth School of Medicine
  • Biostatistics MS candidate at University of Michigan
  • Associate Research Scientist at TriNetX
  • Senior Data Scientist at New York City Council
  • Biostatistician at Aetion
  • Epidemiologist at San Francisco Department of Health
  • Community Health Disparities Project Manager at City of Philadelphia – Department of Public Health
  • Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at University of Washington
  • Assistant Professor of Statistics, UC-Riverside
  • MDs at Mount Sinai Hospital, SUNY-Downstate, Columbia University, Duke University